The Nautilus

2003 Nautilus

Offered by Coys | Blenheim Palace, U.K. | July 11, 2015

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

This isn’t our normal cup of tea, over-the-top movie cars without any real historical significance. But this ting is actually so crazy looking that it caught our attention. And, it runs and drives.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a superhero movie from 2003 starring Sean Connery that I will admit to having watched but have no recollection of whatsoever. The characters in the film are actually pretty interesting, ranging from Dorian Gray to Tom Sawyer to Captain Nemo. Nemo, of course, being from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and captain of the Nautilus submarine.

Well this Nautilus was his road car. It is actually based on an old Land Rover fire tender and uses a Rover V-8. The front four wheels steer and it has four doors and no roof. It is ludicrously lengthy and was used in the film. Two were built but one was mounted with cameras for interior shots while this was used for distance. It does run and drive but is definitely not street legal. It is, however, quite decorative and interesting. It is estimated to bring between $23,500-$40,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $49,411.

Thunderbird Supercharged Concept

2003 Ford Thunderbird Supercharged Concept

Offered by RM Auctions | Farmer’s Branch, Texas | November 15, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions
Photo – RM Auctions

The Ford Thunderbird F-Code from 1957 was a mean, powerful machine. This car was meant to be the spiritual successor to that car. Ford never put it into production. But they should have. The last Thunderbird was a dud and perhaps a hot rod version would have helped.

The engine is a supercharged 3.9-liter V-8 making 390 horsepower. That’s sports car territory. It has a vented hood and other minor details to set it apart. This car was also acquired by Sam Pack from Ford in 2010. It should sell for between $50,000-$80,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of the sale of the Sam Pack Collection.

Update: Sold $57,750.

A Pair of T-Bird Concepts

Ford Thunderbird Concepts

Offered by RM Auctions | Farmer’s Branch, Texas | November 15, 2014


 2001 Ford Thunderbird Sports Roadster Concept

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Ah, the retro styling craze of the early 2000s. Ford decided to bring back the Thunderbird for the 2002 model year. The car’s introduction was preceded by a slew of concept cars, including this Sports Roadster.

These Thunderbirds had soft tops or removable hard tops. This car is topless and has a fiberglass tonneau cover that fits nicely against the back of the head rests. You could’ve gotten a similar look on a 1960s T-Bird.

The engine is a standard 280 horsepower 3.9-liter V-8. This car was acquired from Ford by Sam Pack in 2010. It’s the only one like it and should sell for between $60,000-$80,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $55,000.


2003 Ford Thunderbird Supercharged Concept

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

The Ford Thunderbird F-Code from 1957 was a mean, powerful machine. This car was meant to be the spiritual successor to that car. Ford never put it into production. But they should have. The last Thunderbird was a dud and perhaps a hot rod version would have helped.

The engine is a supercharged 3.9-liter V-8 making 390 horsepower. That’s sports car territory. It has a vented hood and other minor details to set it apart. This car was also acquired by Sam Pack from Ford in 2010. It should sell for between $50,000-$80,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of the sale of the Sam Pack Collection.

Update: Sold $57,750.

One of the last AC cars

2003 AC Ace Brooklands

Offered by H&H Auctions | Rockingham Castle, U.K. | June 15, 2013

2003 AC Ace Brooklands

The original AC Ace is a legendary car. Introduced in 1953 with a six-cylinder engine, the Ace would later have a V8 stuffed underhood by an ambitious American and he would call it the “Cobra.” AC loitered around for decades, producing low-volume cars here and there (they still build versions of the Cobra) and in 1993, they revived the name “Ace.”

For the 1998 sales year, AC introduced a second-generation Ace Brooklands. They had just come under South African ownership and much of the car was built in South Africa before being sent back to the U.K. for final assembly. Only about 12 were built before production ran out in 2000.

But parts were still available after that and a handful of cars were assembled using factory spares. This is one of those cars (and it’s referred to as a “Series 3”). It uses a mixture of carbon fiber and aluminium for the body panels and has a 5.0-liter Ford V8 under the hood. Horsepower is around 260. It has 1,100 miles on the odometer and it is rumored that this is the last Ace Brooklands constructed. It can be yours for between $18,000-$22,500. Click here for more info and here for the rest of H&H’s auction lineup.

Update: Sold $19,342.

A One-of-a-Kind Pagani Zonda

2003 Pagani Zonda C12 7.3 S/F

Offered by Bonhams | Brooklands, U.K. | December 3, 2012

The Pagani Zonda began like so many ill-fated attempts at supercar production – as a dream and sketch by its designer, Horacio Pagani. The company was founded seven years prior to production beginning. But that time wasn’t wasted and Pagani wasn’t just any junior high kid wanting to go fast. He was already rich and had a lot of techncial know-how, having worked at Lamborghini and owning his own composite research company that made him a lot of money. The Zonda is a legitimate supercar – and a legitimate car.

The Zonda was well-designed and it is supercar pretty and supercar fast. This one owner car was built in 2003 as a Zonda S 7.3, which used a 7.3-liter AMG-built V12 making 547 horsepower. It could do 208 mph and cost around $500,000. This was the bread and butter Zonda variant. However, in 2009 this car was involved in an accident and sent back to Pagani for repairs. While being repaired, it was also updated/upgraded to Zonda F specification (it is listed as a 2003/2010). Other limited-edition Zonda models were also in production and bits and pieces of some of them were included on this car, including pieces from the Zonda Cinque and Tricolore.

Power is now at 594 horsepower and the upgrades cost a whopping 77% of the original purchase price! It is truly a one-of-a-kind Zonda, a model that is now out of production. The pre-sale estimate is $800,000-$950,000. For more information and photos, click here. And for the rest of Bonham’s auction lineup, click here.

Update: Did not sell.

Mercury Marauder Convertible

2002 Mercury Marauder Concept Convertible

Offered by Auctions America | Auburn, Indiana | June 1-3, 2012

The Mercury Marauder (a hot-rod nameplate that traces its roots back to the early 1960s) was re-introduced in 2003 based on the Ford Panther platform – basically a re-worked Ford Crown Victoria/Mercury Grand Marquis. By re-worked, I mean it had a 4.6-liter DOHC V8 making 302 horsepower. By contrast, the standard Grand Marquis had a 239 horsepower 4.6-liter SOHC V8. Only 11,052 Marauders were produced between 2003 and 2004. It is a car I continue to lust after.

So what’s better than a big, black sleeper sedan? Not much, but I really dig this 2002 Marauder Concept Convertible built by Roush. The engine was supercharged to 335 horsepower, the roof was cut off and two doors removed. What an idea! Too bad Ford didn’t take the bait and build a run of them.

This is, presumably, one-of-one and had a build cost approaching half a million dollars. I don’t know what it will bring at auction, but it won’t be half a million dollars. A tenth of that would should be considered “well sold.” The car has 155 miles on it and is listed as “fully roadworthy” – which I’m sure it is. I’m also sure it would be a hoot to drive. It is also noted that this car is sold on bill of sale only. So it’s up to the buyer to get it registered.

To read the complete lot description and for more pictures, click here. For more from Auctions America’s Auburn Spring sale, click here.

Update: Sold $51,700.